Who Needs to Reform?

One of the questions it's probably important to ask in this whole area of AKC conformation reform is the quandary over what behaviors need to be changed, and by whom, in order to make things better. I've been saying a lot about AKC judge behavior and the shortcomings of the current judging process, but it should be fairly obvious that the shortcomings really affect the behavior of all of us some degree. This is quite obvious in the face judging area; my description of the breeder / handler who only shows when she believes she has developed some sort of advantage with a judge is just one example. So with this in mind, some readers may be wondering why I don't address personal integrity as the real issue.

The answer is simple. I do believe that we as exhibitors have a personal obligation to conduct ourselves in a professional manner. Certainly if we all did so, most of the issues I've addressed here would go away. But this is not a reasonable expectation. If we could get away with a reliance on personal responsibility, we'd never have recognized a need to govern ourselves. Human beings find it impossible to be consistently altruistic. We have found it a necessary foundation of civilization to put systems of checks and balances in place. This is no different. Any system of evaluation must have in place a set of controls to protect those availing themselves of it from abuse and injustice. In the case of AKC conformation, these must protect judges, clubs, and exhibitors from those who would bend the system to serve their own goals.

So, while I would agree that there is plenty of room for more consistently professional and ethical behavior from everyone involved, I have to question those who would suggest such as the one and only solution here. To free ourselves, we have to adequately govern ourselves; this is the counterintuitive and uncomfortable truth. Do we need to reform our own behavior? Absolutely. But we need to put objective, clear controls in place to reform the process before personal reform can be expected to deliver any lasting benefit.